European Ironclads 1860-75

From the launching of La Gloire to the emergence of modern turreted battleships in 1875, this book offers a fascinating insight into Continental Europe's innovative and powerful ironclads.

In November 1859, the French ironclad La Gloire was launched in Toulon. She was the world's first seagoing ironclad--a warship built from wood, but whose hull was clad in a protective layer of iron plate. While history best remembers the ironclads of the American Civil War, these warships were mere toys compared to the iron-plated leviathans in contemporary European navies. Other European powers, not wanting to be outdone, launched their own ironclads, then the most powerful warships in the world. Together they embodied the startling technological advances of the late 19th century, and the spirit of this new age of steam, iron, and firepower.

De la lansarea La Gloire pana la aparitia cuirasatelor moderne cu turnuri in 1875, aceasta carte ofera o perspectiva fascinanta asupra armatei inovatoare si puternice ale Europei continentale. In noiembrie 1859, armata franceza La Gloire a fost lansata la Toulon. Ea a fost prima armata din lume - o nava de razboi construita din lemn, dar a carei carena era imbracata intr-un strat protector de placa de fier.